Reviews

The Three Faces of Mary

“The beautiful setting of Merton College Chapel was a suitably dramatic venue for the premiere of John Duggan’s equally striking new work, Three Faces of Mary … a young composer who is undoubtedly a name to look out for in future. Three Faces of Mary was commissioned by the East Oxford Community Choir, and they, along with the Isis Orchestra, really put their heart and soul into its premiere performance. They were joined by Restless Blue, a musical collaboration whose remarkable sound (featuring Chapman Stick, electric bass, percussion and keyboards) was an ideal fusion with the more ‘traditional’ elements of choir and orchestra. All combined perfectly to make this intricate piece not only musically rewarding on many different levels but also thoroughly enjoyable.”

“Given vocal parts of great flair and range to explore in the three sections of this work, soloists Helen Maxey, Marguerite Wallis, and the outstanding tenor Mark Milhofer, demonstrated for all the amazing flexibility of the human voice, and its extraordinary ability to thrill and move listeners.”

– Angie Johnson, The Oxford Times, June 6, 2003